A reminder of the days when thrift and industry were hallmarks of the Scots, before those pimply track-marked yobs of "Trainspotting."
So his name is Mr. Monopoly? Really? I thought it was Rich Uncle Pennybags. Turns out Parker Brothers changed the name in the 90s, because "Mr. Monopoly" reinforces the brand better than Uncle Pennybags. People might be playing Monopoly and suddenly forget the name of the game, but then they'd look at the box and see the character "Mr. Monopoly" springing out of the O in "Monopoly," and think, oh, right, it's "Monopoly."
Wikipedia says the character was based on J.P. Morgan and "Esky," the character from Esquire magazine. You can see the resemblance:
